- Particpating companies to employ 250 within 2-3 years
The TCD-UCD Innovation Alliance is hosting an event to showcase the entrepreneurial impact of research undertaken in both institutions. The event involves 10 high-tech and innovative companies, ranging from well established to early-stage ventures, created to commercialise research outputs emerging from both universities. Together the 10 participating spin-out companies, 5 from each university, currently employ 100 staff and plan to increase this number to 250 within the next 2-3 years.
The event, aimed at a general public audience, is entitled TCD-UCD Innovation Alliance – Entrepreneurial Universities Showcasing the Impact of Research. It will take place in the Science Gallery, Pearse Street on Thursday, 18 November 2010 (12 pm – 6 pm) and admission is free.
The event, which will involve product/service demonstrations and presentations, is being organised by the Technology Transfer Office at TCD and NovaUCD, the Innovation and Technology Transfer Centre, as part of the Innovation Dublin 2010 festival.
Speaking in advance of the event, Dr David Lloyd, Dean of Research, TCD, said, "This event showcases the role of the universities in the transfer of knowledge to practice. Both UCD and TCD run very successful entrepreneurship training programmes and provide incubation facilities for their spin-outs. We hope to see acceleration in the quantity and quality of new high potential start-ups created by our two universities."
Among the TCD companies participating are IdentiGEN and Eneclann. IdentiGEN’s menu of cost-effective DNA-based products and services, ranging from parentage determination to beef quality and BVD testing, is an invaluable tool that helps beef and pork producers maximise their earning potential. Eneclann offers a wide range of Irish history and heritage services through its three divisions, historical research, digitisation and publications, and archives and records management.
An IdentiGEN DNA-Traceback seal on packaged pork
According to Professor Des Fitzgerald, Vice-President for Research, UCD, “The development of high-tech companies, such as those taking part in this TCD-UCD Innovation Alliance event, is of critical importance, especially in the current economic environment, as they are generating significant opportunities for the creation of highly-skilled jobs.”
Two of the UCD companies participating are BiancaMed and HeyStaks Technologies. BiancaMed, a medical technology company, sells the world’s only convenient, non-contact device for the monitoring of sleep and breathing in the home. HeyStaks Technologies, the social web-search company, has recently secured €1 million in equity funding from the Ulster Bank Diageo Ventures Fund, managed by NCB Ventures to develop its product offering, expand existing operations and to open an office in San Francisco.
Dr Conor Hanley, CEO & Co-founder BiancaMed and the BiancaMed SleepMinderTM product
All participating companies are profiled below.
Click here for further event information.
Click here for further showcase brochure and schedule of talks.
ENDS
15 November 2010
For further information contact Micéal Whelan, NovaUCD, e: miceal.whelan@ucd.ie, t: + 353 (0)1 716 3712, Caoimhe Ní Lochlainn, TCD Press Officer, t: +353 (0)1 896 2310 or +353 1 (0) 87-995 8014.
Editors Notes
The TCD-UCD Innovation Alliance is a partnership working with the education sector, the State and its agencies alongside the business and venture capital communities to develop a world-class ecosystem for innovation that will drive enterprise development in Ireland. By forming the Innovation Alliance TCD and UCD recognise the need to evolve and play a powerful role within such an ecosystem. Last year the two universities spun-out 15 companies and ninety-eight patent applications, including 47 priority, 31 PCT (patent co-operation treaty) and 20 national/regional applications were also filed by TCD and UCD during 2009.
Participating Companies
BiancaMed (www.biancamed.com)
BiancaMed, a medical technology company, sells the world’s only convenient, non-contact device for the monitoring of sleep and breathing in the home. Founders: Dr Philip de Chazal, Dr Conor Hanley and Professor Conor Heneghan, UCD School of Electrical, Electronic and Mechanical Engineering.
Bioplastech
Bioplastech is an innovation driven company producing biodegradable polymers with novel uses in the biomedical and bulk plastic industries. Founder: Dr Kevin O’Connor, UCD School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science
Cellix (www.cellixltd.com)
Cellix has developed a microfluidics drug screening tool currently being used by over a third of the top ten pharmaceutical companies worldwide. Founders: Dmitry Kashanin, Professor Igor Schvets and Vivienne Williams, TCD School of Physics.
Celtic Catalysts (www.celticcatalysts.com)
Celtic Catalysts is a leading supplier of chiral products and manufacturing services to the pharmaceutical, fine chemical and biotechnology industries. Founders: Professor Declan Gilheany and Dr Brian Kelly, UCD School of Chemistry and Chemical Biology.
Eneclann (www.eneclann.ie)
Eneclann offers a wide range of Irish history and heritage services through its three divisions, historical research, digitisation and publications, and archives and records management. Founders: Dr Brian Donovan and Dr Fiona Fitzsimons, TCD School of History.
HeyStaks Technologies (www.heystaks.com)
HeyStaks Technologies has developed a unique technology that allows searchers to harness their social graphs as they search on their favourite search engines effectively bringing together the worlds of social networks and mainstream search engines. Founders: Dr Peter Briggs, Dr Maurice Coyle, Professor Barry Smyth, CLARITY Centre for Sensor Web Technologies, University College Dublin
IdentiGEN (www.identigen.com)
IdentiGEN is a leading provider of DNA-based solutions to the agri-food industry with laboratory operations in Ireland, UK and the USA. Founders: Dr Ronan Loftus and Dr Ciaran Meghen, TCD School of Genetics and Microbiology.
Miravex (www.miravex.com)
Miravex specialises in the areas of optics and image analysis for the cosmetic investigation of skin conditions. Founders: Dr Roman Kantor, Dr Guido Mariotto and Professor Igor Shvets, TCD School of Physics.
OncoMark (www.oncomark.com)
OncoMark, a life science company, is dedicated to the discovery and development of novel diagnostics and therapeutics that help to save lives and improve the quality of life of cancer patients. Founders: Professor William Gallagher and Steve Penney, UCD School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science.
Sonitus Systems (www.sonitussystems.com)
Sonitus Systems design and install sophisticated noise monitoring systems for assessing the impact of environmental noise. Founders: Dr Dermot Geraghty, Ivor Humphreys and Dr Paul McDonald, Ciaran McElroy and Bartley McElroy, TCD School of Engineering.